Pacific Jazz / World Pacific 200 Labels – Seeburg / AMI

Edward Hopper’s NIGHTHAWKS is perhaps the best known depiction of a late night eating establishment in American culture. Hopper referred to it as a restaurant, but it is more commonly known as a diner with the single stools along a counter being one of the essential elements of a diner that usually included booths that typically sat four people comfortably. Hopper’s NIGHTHAWKS does not contain any distractions from the essential elements he chose to depict, no board advertising specials of the day, no signs advertising coffee or soft drink brands, and no jukebox selection devices on the counter. Just napkin dispensers, salt & pepper shakers, the ubiquitous sugar jar, the coffee urns, and the solitary figures.

Seeburg was one of the major manufacturers producing coin operated phonographs and by the 1960s they had models that could play 45 and 33 RPM records. The remote control boxes allowed customers to make their selection from their counter stool or booth, inserting a coin and punching the buttons for their desired selection. This innovation allowed some anonymity for the customer making the selection. Prior to the introduction of the remote boxes, one had to walk up to the jukebox to make a selection and when that tune began to play, other customers would know who had made the selection.

World Pacific introduced the S-200 series around the same time that their stereo LP and 45 singles series were promoted. The S-200 jukebox line included ten 7” discs in the LP 33 RPM format. The package included a slick advertising the artists featured in the series.

AMI was another one of the major manufacturers who had introduced models that played 45 and 33 RPM discs. The 200 numbering series that commenced with S-201 and ended with S-210 continued with AMI-211 through AMI-215.